Originally Posted by
Tom M.
Couldn't the same logic be used about screening in general? Are we more at risk of getting mugged than a terrorist attack on the plane?
And FYI, about a month ago I was in Miami Admirals Club. There was a gentleman there with his wife and infant son. His wallet was stolen at the X-ray machine by another passenger.
What happened was he put his wallet into a bin, watched it go into the machine and then stepped through the WTMD. The TSO operating the machine backed up the belt to get a look at something and the person grabbed the wallet.
All on video, but by the time they got the video, the person was long gone.
To answer your first question - of course we are. By several orders of magnitude.
To respond to your second point - sorry, but the passenger was an idiot. I wouldn't leave my wallet out in the open anywhere in a public place, and I'd expect something like the above to happen if I did. But I would consider keeping it in a zipped pocket of a carry-on bag a good balance between safety and convenience. Would you?